AFRICAN MEDIA
NIGERIA-PROVERBS
THAT MEN MAY KNOW WISDOM AND INSTRUCTION AND
OVERSTAND WORDS OF INSIGHT
PROVERBS chap 1 verse 2
in Nigeria it has been said that proverbs enrich a language as well as
making words have more meaning.
He who wants to fly must first learn to stand.
Rotten wood cannot be carved even by the best of carvers.
A man's character cannot be washed off by the rain.
A child who knows how to wash his hands well will eat
with elders.
Until a frog leaps into hot water ,it does not know there
are two worlds.
Do not tell a child not to touch a hot lamp,the lamp will
tell him.
Even dirty water extinguishes a fire.
The lazyman will remember he has not planted when his
neighbours start harvesting.
The firewood that we gather in our youth is what we will
warm ourselves with in old age.
When the cock crows at dawn ,the lazyman blames the
night for being too short.
Laziness spreads a mat for hunger to lie on.
If wisdom was measured in size,the ant would feel
foolish in the presence of an elephant.
Unity among the cattle makes the lion lie down hungry.
A marriage tree can be killed by its own fruit.
A house does not fall leaving the roof intact.
However large one eye is,two eyes are better
than one.
A thief is a thief whether he steals an orange or
diamonds.
Truth is like oil ,no matter how much water you pour
on it,it will always float.
Happiness is a perfume ,you must pour it on yourself
for other to appreciate it.
Do not buy a monkey that is on a tree.
A man who thinks he knows everything will eventually
end up marrying his mother.
It does not matter how high your hat is ,everyone
knows the level of your head inside it.
He who is dissatified with the position of the moon
should climb up and move it.
If you want to know what your wife will look like
in oldage ,look at your mother in law.
A crab only knows two types of water ,where it lives
and where it is boiled.
A cow without a tail will be mocked by little flies.
AFRICANMEDIAHOMENEXT